In a letter dated 25 June 2025, Iran’s representative to the United Nations Amir-Saeid Iravani rejected claims made by the U.S. during the Security Council’s 24 June meeting on non-proliferation.

The U.S. had cited Article 51 of the U.N. Charter to justify its 21 June strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities as an act of self-defense.

Iran denounced this explanation as a “blatant distortion” of international law and the Charter, stating that the attack violated its sovereignty and the principles governing the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

“Iran’s nuclear sites are under full I.A.E.A. safeguards and have been repeatedly confirmed as peaceful,” the letter said.

The document cited General Assembly Resolution 3314 and International Court of Justice rulings—including the 1986 Nicaragua and 2003 Oil Platforms cases—to argue that preemptive force cannot constitute lawful self-defense.

Iran also dismissed allegations of an imminent nuclear threat as “unfounded,” pointing to recent I.A.E.A. reports and the U.S. intelligence assessments that showed no evidence of weapons development.

The U.N. Security Council Resolution 487 (1981) and I.A.E.A. General Conference Resolutions GC(XXIX)/RES/444 and GC(XXXIV)/RES/533 were referenced to reinforce that attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities are prohibited under international law.

The letter condemned both the U.S. and Israel for invoking false pretexts to carry out unlawful aggression and warned that such actions severely undermine the authority and credibility of the Security Council as well as the Non-Proliferation Treaty and global nuclear safeguards.

Iran urged Security Council members to reject the “preemptive self-defense” doctrine and condemn the U.S. and Israel for violating the Charter of the United Nations and the norms of international conduct.

It also called on the U.N. Secretary General to report on the implementation of Resolution 487, especially regarding Israeli regime’s violations and targeting of peaceful nuclear sites and facilities under the safeguards of the I.A.E.A.

Iran requested that the letter be circulated as a document of the Security Council